Exploring the Association Between Work–Family Conflict and Job Involvement

• Author: Jinwu Zhang,Shanhe Jiang,Thomas Kelley,Jianhong Liu,Eric G. Lambert
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19896463
• Published date: 01 June 2020
• Date: 01 June 2020
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X19896463

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2020, Vol. 64(8) 791 –817

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19896463

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Article

Exploring the Association

Between Work–Family

Conflict and Job Involvement

Jianhong Liu1, Eric G. Lambert2,

Thomas Kelley3, Jinwu Zhang1, and Shanhe Jiang3

Abstract

Past research among U.S. correctional staff has found that work–family conflict has

negative outcomes such as decreasing job satisfaction, decreasing organizational

commitment, and increasing job stress. Little empirical research has addressed the

association of the specific types of work–family conflict with job involvement. The

present study contributes to the literature by separately analyzing the relationship of

the four specific major types of work–family conflict (time-based conflict, strain-based

conflict, behavior-based conflict, and family-on-work conflict) with job involvement

among surveyed staff at two Chinese prisons. Job involvement varied by the type of

work–family conflict. Specifically, time-based conflict and strain-based conflict had

nonsignificant association with job involvement, but behavior-based and family-based

conflicts had significant negative associations.

Keywords

China, Chinese prison staff, job involvement, work–family conflict

Correctional staff are a critical resource for correctional organizations. Staff are

responsible for a myriad of duties and responsibilities required for the effective

operation of a humane, safe, and secure institution. In light of their importance, a

growing body of empirical research has focused on staff, including how workplace

variables are related to staff work attitudes. Most of the work attitudes research has

focused on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. While job satisfaction

1University of Macau, Taipa, China

2University of Nevada, Reno, USA

3Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jianhong Liu, Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Office E21-3002,

Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China.

Email: jliu@umac.mo

896463IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X19896463International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyLiu et al.

research-article2019

792 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 64(8)

and organizational commitment are salient work attitudes in their own right, they are

not the only ones. Job involvement is another important work attitude. Job involve-

ment refers to a person’s level of the psychological identification with the job. At the

opposite end of the continuum of job involvement is job alienation, which refers to

having little connection to the job (i.e., being detached from the job; Kanungo, 1982a,

1982b). Hackman and Lawler (1971) believed that job involvement resulted in moti-

vation for workers. Saks (2006) contended that workers with greater connection to

the job were more likely to feel competent and put forth more effort in their work,

thereby becoming more successful. Chen and Chiu (2009) noted that workers with

high job involvement are more independent and self-confident—they not only conduct

their work in accordance with the job duties required by the company but are also more

likely to do their work in accordance with the employees’ perception of their own

performance. (p. 478)

Job involvement has been reported to result in higher job satisfaction, higher commit-

ment to the organization, greater work engagement and productivity, less absenteeism,

and lower likelihood of voluntarily quitting (Blau & Boal, 1989; Brown, 1996; Chen

& Chiu, 2009; DeCarufel & Schaan, 1990; Diefendorff et al., 2002; Elloy et al., 1991;

Lambert & Paoline, 2010; Paoline & Lambert, 2012; Rabinowitz & Hall, 1977). Job

involvement is an important work attitude that needs to be studied.

There is a small but growing body of literature that has explored how workplace

factors affect the job involvement of correctional staff. Part of this body of research

has explored how workplace variables are associated with correctional staff job

involvement; however, the association of work–family conflict with job involvement

has been studied very little. Work–family conflict occurs when the work domain and

home domain spill over into one another and cause conflict (Netemeyer et al., 1996;

Triplett et al., 1996, 1999). Specifically, work–family conflict is

a form of inter-role conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family domains

are mutually incompatible in some respect. That is, participation in the work (family) role

is made more difficult by participation in the family (work) role. (Greenhaus & Beutell,

1985, p. 77)

There are different types of work–family conflict: time-based conflict, behavior-based

conflict, strain-based conflict, and family-based conflict (Lambert et al., 2006; Triplett

et al., 1996). Only a single published study could be found that explored how work–

family conflict and job involvement were related to one another among correctional

staff. Lambert (2008) found among U.S. correctional staff that both family-based con-

flict and a composite measure of work spilling over to home had positive associations

with job involvement. Clearly, additional research is needed to determine the connec-

tion between work–family conflict and job involvement. Furthermore, the single pub-

lished study to date on correctional staff was conducted in the United States. The

relationship, if any, that exists between the different types of work–family conflict and

job involvement among correctional staff in other cultures is unclear.